Cold and Flu / Olive Leaf

Herb-Of-The-Week / Cold and Flu / Olive Leaf


Greetings Y'all !

With temperatures dropping and with shortages of the flu vaccine, I
thought I'd touch on the herbs that are antiviral. Let's review some
important facts. A cold or flu is VIRAL. Unfortunately antibiotics
are not effective against viral infections. Sometimes people seem
to get better with antibiotics for a simple reason. That reason is
once a virus get a foothold then infectious germs, being the
opportunists that they are, decide then is a good time for an all out
assault as well. And guess what? Fungi and other parasites take the
chance as well. As the teenagers say, once your immune system is
compromised, as the teenagers say..... it's on.


Fighting viruses is a good discussion to have for the main reason....
almost all of your chronic "infectious" diseases are viral!! HIV,
HCV and herpes are all viral. That's why they are so hard to
eradicate. That's why some are considered incurable. It is almost
impossible to kill a virus. Your body has to fight it off with your
natural immune system. A cold or flu just has to run its course.
Just for the record, a cold sore is really just another form of
herpes.


While there are a few drugs that end in "vir" that are used to
control viruses (Acyclovir for one), the key is to build up and
otherwise boost up your immune system. There are number of herbs AND
FOODS that do exactly that.


ONIONS AND GARLIC!!!! GARLIC AND ONIONS. I can't say enough good
things about the virus fighting properties of the phytochemicals in
onions and garlic (allicin and quercitin).


Remember you heard it here..... eat garlic. Raw, crushed garlic in
everything you can. chew parsley or take chlorophyll capsules for
your breath. Your health is more important than your breath. Some
foreigners who understand are more tolerant of the smell of garlic
than Americans. Garlic pills have some advantage but the real deal
is best. And I assure you that you probably will NEVER be bitten by
a vampire!! LOL


Here is the official statement:
"..Olive leaf (Oleum olviva, O.europea) was used to treat parasites
in the mid-nineteenth century. It reportedly weakens and even
destroys a wide range of viruses and bacteria, including those that
cause colds and flu, and stimulates white blood cell production to
help the body further fight off infection..."


As far back as the 70's, research was done on the herpes virus that
indicated that an ingredient in olives was active against the herpes
virus.
Whole olive leaves can be boiled in water or treated with wine to
make a tincture, and a recent study was carried out to see if this
traditional
preparation could combat herpes. In this study, six subjects with
genital herpes were given 2 ounces of olive-leaf tincture every six
hours. All subjects reported relief from their symptoms, and three
claimed that their lesions had disappeared completely within 36-48
hours. For the three subjects whose lesions remained, the dose was
upped to 4 ounces, which resulted in additional improvement, but
their lesions persisted. Two of these individuals had recently
acquired the herpes virus, and were probably experiencing a high
level of viral shedding, while
the third had recently gone off birth control pills, which was
thought to have possibly complicated the infection. While using the
tincture, the three subjects whose lesions healed were able to eat
foods that normally caused an outbreak, and still remain lesion-free


All subjects had tried the medical drug, Acyclovir, but found the
olive tincture to be superior. As far as controlling the herpes
infection, this
study suggests that the olive tincture is at least as effective as
the drug. Olive tincture has been used in Europe for 75 years with no
apparent ill
effects, and no side effects were reported in the present study.
Based on information in: Townsend Letter for Doctors, May 1997


What does this have to do with colds????? Olive leaf fights viruses
of any kind and herpes is a cousin of the common cold. The olive
leaf contains Oleurpein , the bitter-principle of green olives, a
potent antioxidant EVEN AT EXTREMELY LOW CONCENTRATIONS. This
phytochemical is thought to be the reason the tree is able to protect
itself against every insect and bacterial
predator and why the olive tree lives for thousands of years.
Oxidation caused free radical damage is a major factor in perhaps all
chronic diseases. Olive leaf also has compounds that dilate coronary
vessels and lower blood pressure. Even the wastewater of olive
processing is strongly microbial, oleuropein is perhaps the key
chemical the olive tree uses to protect itself from foreign invaders.
Kills microorganisms of all types: viruses, retroviruses, bacteria,
fungi, yeast, molds, yeast, protozoa, worms, and parasites.


In 1969 the Upjohn Company isolated another active compound in olive
leaves. Calcium Elenolate (e-LEN-oh-late) and it kills pathogenic
microbes. It kills every harmful virus, bacteria, yeast, fungi and
protozoan it was tested against in the test tube.

It is important to know that OLIVE LEAF IS NOT A DRUG AND DOES NOT
CURE DISEASE. The olive leaf cannot fix damaged cells in the body.
It CAN strengthen the immune system to help the body restore it's own
health. As pathogens die off enmasse you will notice detox symptoms
as the dead microbes release toxins and other substances. The cell
wall proteins of the dead microbes get absorbed into weakened mucous
membranes and the body then has to deal with getting rid of them.
This may overtax the elimination systems. You could actually start to
feel sick or develop a skin condition. Even so, the die off effect is
good news. Some common reactions may include: fatigue, diarrhea,
headaches, muscle or joint aches, flu-like symptoms, rash, pimples or
some other skin condition. The best way to minimize the
detoxification symptoms is to drink lots of water to help the
lymphatic system flush out the kidneys. Please use distilled water
since it is empty and can carry the dead pathogens out with it. If
the symptoms are severe, cut back on the number of capsules or cups
of tea you are taking so you body can deal with the waste more
efficiently. These symptoms are temporary and when they're over
you will be in a much greater state of health.

"....Mononucleosis and Epstein Barr are both caused by the same
virus. This virus is a member of the herpes family of viral
infections and is related to the viruses that cause shingles and
genital herpes. If you suffer from this bone crushing fatigue you may
want to add a little olive leaf to your supplements. The center for
disease control in Atlanta estimates that Approximately 20% of the
population are carriers with no visible symptoms. Epstein Barr is
highly contagious and is spread by personal contact, kissing, sharing
food, coughing, spitting and intimate contact. Once the virus enters
the body it stays there waiting for the immune system to let its
guard down. Olive Leaf can break the cycle and kill the virus.
According to the National Life Extension Research Institute, olive
leaf phytochemicals are effective against Fibromyalgia. There is
evidence to support the notion that Fibromyalgia is in the same class
of virus as Epstein Barr. We could go on and on about olive
leaf, but we won't. Suffice it to say that this is a promising herb
with a future and a past....."


Since it only takes a minimum amount of olive leaf to be effective, I
use the tea. Another thing I have researched is that the tea is
supposed to be REALLY good for folks that have herpes.


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IT'S YOUR HEALTH. Why take my word for it? You can research anything
mentioned on this site yourself. Two good search engines are
www.mamma.com which will search at least 22 other search engines and
www.google.com. Enter one or more keywords and do your own research.


Until next time remember .... most illness (upwards of 80% according
to experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can
weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:


1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors

LEARN TO FORGIVE AND LET GO

2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits

LEARN TO AVOID PROCESSED AND/OR REFINED FOODS

3. A sedimentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE

FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY ENGAGING ACTIVITY IF IT IS NOTHING BUT
MORNING OR EVENING WALKS.

4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time

GO TO BED. "EARLY TO BED AND EARLY TO RISE; MAKES A MAN HEALTHY,
WEALTHY AND WISE"


LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA. The statements on this page
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and these
statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.